2001 f-150 5.4L

rebuilt the top end of the motor less than 10 miles ago due to a sheared off driver side cam gear. then had to re-open the front of the engine to re-install the old crank sprocket cause the new one wasn't for an f-150 and it caused the crank trigger wheel to dig a trench into the timing cover and cracked it. while also spreading aluminum dust everywhere.

drove it around, and we started to loose oil pressure at random times once warm, thinking it was the gauge we switched it out. It still does it. So I changed the oil and filter and cut the filter open to find tiiiiny pieces of aluminum in it.
and at the same time installed a tee and ran it to a mechanical oil pres. gauge in the cab.

A short drive to Wendy's (yum!) revealed that once the truck warmed up the mechanical gauge went from 60, to 40. ok.... I can accept that. then from 40 to 20!

All the time the trucks gauge remained in the middle. then from 20 it went to like...4. but the trucks gauge stayed in the middle. then from 4 to zero. but the trucks gauge still read ok.

I thought that maybe the mechanical gauge's tube got clogged with aluminum
or something or maybe the tee i made was F'ed up. but just then the trucks gauge went to zero.

I shut the truck off for like 30 sec and inspected my tee and oil level. then I restarted the truck at which point the oil pressure went to 40 and slowly went to zero, at which point the trucks gauge also went to zero.

why doesnt the truck's gauge fluctuate? its either on or off.
and Im starting to think that the damage to this engine was already critical when I first got it with the busted cam...Ive been doing my best to give it new life and it just doesn't want to respond.

Is my oil pump bad? I hate this engine...

Im going to give it another oil and filter change soon but Maybe the pump was affected by the aluminum pieces?.......my engines toast isn't it?

 

I think I would pull the pan in fear of the pick-up screen being plugged or partially plugged w/shavings. It should only take 5 - 15 seconds for the oil to fully cycle.

Changing the oil was the best and the first thing to do after finding out what you did.. That really sucks.

Shavings hanging in the pick-up screen would concern me in your position. I duno - That would freak me out lol. I don't know if I would pull the heads or not. ?? The damage might be done. Not sure.

Hopefully someone else will chime in - maybe it's not as bad as I'm thinking.

That does suck after all that work..

If you need anything from the manual , let me know.

 

Pulling the oil pan was on my mind already.

I just REALLY dont want to open the motor up again. If i can keep from replacing the oil pump that would be great.

What keeps running through my mind are the little peices of aluminum that may have found their way into a bearing and are scraping away at it.

or does the oil only see bearings after the filter and pick-up screen?
I suppose in that case The engine may be ok....except for the lack of oil pressure in the bearings.

thanks. next step in the never ending truck rebuild, oil pan.

the truck was also heaving while under light cruise....like the tranny was slipping or something. AND it makes a weird ticking sound. AND theres like...bearing noise from the front of the engine....siiiiiiiiiiiiigh

 

That doesn't sound good - I think I would head over to-

http://car-part.com/

Best place to go for a used unit. - You type your ZIP in and they find you a motor in your zip code - if there isn't one to be had, they work there way out from your location , then give you a list of engines and where their at.

That's if you her up and running quick.

 

sounds like the oil pump is going out, and its spitting metal chips in ur oil...

 

If you had aluminum shavings in the front cover they worked their way into the oil pan and have now spread their way up into the oil pump and into the filter. Do not drive the truck any more till it is repaired. Pull the oil filter and cut it open to see if there are any aluminum shavings. You may have clogged the filter and starved the engine for oil. I would still pull the pan and inspect the Main Bearings.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

Is the oil pres. gauge on the truck just a dummy gauge? thats effin stupid.
and it doesnt go off untill 0psi. thats even worse.

 

Yessir, that's correct.

Actually the magic number is about 7 PSI, but that's bad enough.

Not sure there is a fix for these newer Ford products, like say my old 94 Ranger where I could have bridged a resistor on the back of the cluster, gotten a proper sender, and been happy.